The Beatitude Pope Theodore II – the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa – was welcomed with open arms by members of the Hellenic community in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. They were not only eager to meet their leader on this auspicious occasion but also wanted to share some of their community-related religious concerns. A remembrance ceremony was held to honour the lives lost, especially on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the individuals who passed on from coronavirus-related complications and was honoured during this service, was Father Georgios Tsiftsis. 

Leader of the Hellenic Community in Bloemfontein, Mario Savvas, says Tsiftsis’ death in January 2021 has left a gaping hole in the spiritual community and has left members of the community in somewhat of a limbo spiritually. “With Father Georgios’ passing, we have been struggling with priests and have had to borrow priests from Gauteng to have services every other month. So the community has been struggling spiritually for a while,” says Savvas.

The leader of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria’s visit to Bloemfontein was in part to help address the spiritual hole that was left as a result of Tsiftsis’ passing. Pope Theodore II has vowed to expedite the search for the deceased spiritual leader’s successor. Tsiftsis was ordained in 2015 as a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, returning to the Hellenic Community of Bloemfontein, his second home, where he served until his untimely passing. Prior to his death, he made an icon for the leader of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and on Tuesday it was presented to him in a touching moment during the service. Savvas says whilst time on the itinerary was very limited, they were able to show the Patriarch Naval Hill before his departure.

This, however, is not the leader’s first visit to South Africa.

In 2015, the Beatitude Pope Theodore II met with President Jacob Zuma on one of his visits to South Africa and awarded the former statesman the Grand Cross of the St. Mark Order of the Lion and offered him a cross wishing that Zuma would always carry it with him. The patriarch lauded the role and presence of Hellenism in the South African society over the years, referring to the well-known human rights lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa, George Bizos.

The Patriarch arrived in South Africa on this latest tour on Friday 12 November and was welcomed by Egypt’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed El Fadly, at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. El Fadly, hosted a luncheon honouring the respected leader of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria at his residence in Pretoria. The luncheon, according to the diplomatic society, was attended by representatives of Orthodox countries accredited to South Africa, including Cyprus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as members of the Greek Embassy in Johannesburg. Not only will the Pope engage with the Hellenic community but he will also visit a number of historical, tourist and religious monuments in South Africa. The Pope is now on the way to Welkom, where he will engage the Hellenic Community there. Tour organiser, John Philippou, says the Patriarch heads to Botswana next week.

OFM News